5 States With the Largest Gender Wage Gaps

5. North Dakota – women earn 73 cents for every dollar earned by men
4. West Virginia – women earn 70 cents for every dollar earned by men
3. Utah – women earn 69 cents for every dollar earned by men
2. Louisiana – women earn 69 cents for every dollar earned by men
1. Wyoming – women earn 67 cents for every dollar earned by men

Industries Where Women Earn More than Men

Women sales engineers earn $1.43 for every dollar earned by their male counterparts, with women statisticians ($1.35), legislators ($1.33), women in “other” transportation services ($1.30), and automotive service technicians ($1.29) also out-earning men in their respective professions.

Younger and Older Women

The pay gap is narrowest for the youngest women in the workforce, with women age 20 to 24 earning 93.2 cents for every dollar earned by men in the same age group.

Women age 55 to 64 have the largest pay gap, earning only 75.1 cents for every dollar earned by men in that age group.

The gender wage gap doesn’t just affect women. For men in families with female partners who work, if she isn’t earning as much as men doing the same job, it affects the entire family’s finances.

Single mothers who aren’t earning as much as male counterparts aren’t able to provide as generously for their families as single fathers in the same job.

The gender gap won’t go away on its own, but may require legislative and judicial redress, greater transparency about wages in the private sector, and empowerment of women to understand the true worth of their abilities and develop strong negotiating skills.

Females now account for about 60% of new graduates with bachelor’s degrees, and professionals at the highest reaches of government, like Dr. Pamela Coukos, senior program advisor with the Labor Department’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs says that the Labor Department plans to rescind outdated guidance on protecting workers from pay discrimination and help women better understand their worth in the workplace.

Mary Hiers is a personal finance writer who helps people earn more and spend less.